Kolache Dough

This is a cream cheese pastry dough, not a yeast dough, which means no rising, no proofing, and no guesswork. Just five ingredients: flour, cream cheese, butter, an egg yolk, and a touch of sugar. Work them together, knead briefly, and let the fridge do the rest overnight.

The overnight chill is not a suggestion. The butter and cream cheese need to firm up completely so the dough rolls out clean and handles without sticking. Try to rush it and you’ll be scraping soft, greasy dough off your counter.

Roll the chilled dough thin on a surface dusted with both flour and sugar. The sugar on the rolling surface gives the outside of each piece a light sweetness and a subtle caramelized edge when baked. Cut into squares, fill, and fold.

Traditional kolache fillings are Central European classics: ground walnuts mixed with sugar, lekvar (a thick prune butter), poppy seed paste, or apricot preserves. Each square gets about a teaspoon of filling, then the corners fold up to partially enclose it. Don’t overfill or the seams pop open in the oven.

Chef Tips

• Use full-fat cream cheese, never the whipped or low-fat kind. It has too much moisture and won’t create the right flaky texture.
• Knead the dough just until it comes together. Overworking develops gluten, which makes the pastry tough instead of tender.
• If the dough cracks while rolling, let it warm up for 5 minutes. Straight from the fridge it can be brittle.

Variations

• Nutella filled: Use a teaspoon of Nutella in each square for a modern twist kids love.
• Savory kolache: Skip the sugar in the dough and fill with sausage and cheese for a savory version popular in Texas.